Hood for pressurized container

ABSTRACT

For use to protectively cover the valve outlet on the top of a pressurized cylinder, such as is often used by scuba divers, which has a generally hemispherical top and a valve extending upwardly from it. The device is a hood sized to receive the upper end of the tank and the valve to protectively house the latter. The hood has means to connect to the tank at the lower end and to the valve, there being a hooked member for hooked-up engagement with the valve with a portion extending through the top of the hood and a lock nut to hold the same in place.

United States Patent [191 Crose, Jr. 1 Sept. 4, 1973 HOOD FOR PRESSURIZED CONTAINER Primary Examiner-Ge0rge E. Lowrance Assistant Examiner-Allan N. Shoap h th t. Inventor g g gz f g r S Ocean Attorney-John Cyril Malloy [22] Filed: Apr. 7, 1972 [57] ABSTRACT [2i] Appl. No.: 241,968

For use to protectively cover the valve outlet on the top of a pressurized cylinder, such as is often used by scuba 2? 220/85 3 3 2 3 divers, which has a generally hemispherical top and a d 85 A 85 B valve extending upwardly from it. The device is a hood l 8 37 sized to receive the upper end of the tank and the valve l to protectively house the latter. The hood has means to 56 R f d connect to the tank at the lower end and to the valve, l l e erences e there being a hooked member for hooked-up engage- UNITED STATES PATENTS ment with the valve with a portion extending through 3,323,541 6/1967 Schneider, Jr. et al. 220/85 P the top of the hood and a lock nut to hold the same in 1,353,050 9/l920 Cambrakos 220/85 P la 2,364,6l7 l2/l944 Bolser 220/55 C 6 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures /6 fir t i i:

HOOD FOR PRESSURIZED CONTAINER FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to pressurized tanks which are often worn by scuba divers which have a control valve, and, more particularly, to a device to protectively cover the valve so that it does not accidentally get broken off.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide a hood to protectively house the valve of a pressurized cylinder so that it cannot be accidentally knocked from the cylinder in storage and handling prior to use.

It is a more particular object of this invention to provide a hood and means to connect the hood to the upper hemispherical end' of a scuba tank to protectively house the control valve and which includes quick release means to connect the hood to the cylinder and hook means for hooked-up engagement with the valve and lock means to lock the hood to the valve.

It is a general object of this invention to provide a protective cap or hood for increased safety of persons handling or transporting pressurized tanks, and to prevent damage to the valve as a secondary object providing protection for the same, so that the valve will not be broken off and the tank become a rocket type projectile with many pounds of thrust being released accidentally, which is especially adapted for use in scuba, air tank, aircraft and hospital oxygen bottles.

In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a partial side elevation view of the instant invention applied to a scuba tank;

FIG. 2 is a partial front elevation view of the instant invention.

DETAILED SPECIFICATION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and referring more particularly to FIG. I, the numeral 12 generally desigantes the scuba tank which conventionally may be about 6 6 inches in diameter and includes a tapered or rounded upper end 14 having an opening and fitting 16 to accommodate a control valve 18 threadably connected thereto, which valve has a vertical portion 22 and lateral adjustment portions 24 and 26.

The present invention provides a hood 30 to protectively nest over the upper end and provides a chamber 40 for the valve, the hood having an outside dimension of approximately 6 34 inches and of a wall thickness of about one-eighth inches to nest over the upper end of the tank in the manner shown in FIG. I, the axial length of the hood being about 8 inches, which is ordinarily satisfactory to accommodate the conventional valve arrangement providing the interior space or chamber 40 when connected over the valve. A quick release means designated by the numeral 42 is applied to the lower skirt or terminal end of the hood to circumferentially connect to the tank. Through the upper end of the hood an axial through bore 46 is provided which accommodates passage of a tie down pin 48, the lower end of which is bifurcated providing a pair of hook members 50 and 52 which are adapted for hooked-up engagement beneath the lateral portions of the valve. The upper end 56 of the tie down pin 48, which is in the order of about five-sixteenths of an inch in diameter, extends through the through bore and is threaded at the upper end to accommodate a washer 62 which tends to spread the load when a tie down nut 64 having a threaded recess is threadably advanced. The tie down nut may include lateral projections and 72 so that the same, when tightened in position, may be used as a carrying handle. In the preferred embodiment, the bifurcated end of the tie down pin provides a lateral dimension between the bifurcated portions of about 1 /4 inches and a fore to aft dimension of about 1 inch which adapts the same for hooked-up engagement with the valve stem.

What is claimed is:

1. A device to protectively cover the valve on the top of a pressurized cylinder having a generally rounded top and a valve extending upwardly therefrom, comprising a hood sized to nest about the upper end and protectively jacket the valve, said hood having a skirt sized to snugly nest about the diameter of the upper end of the cylinder and said hood having a through opening in the upper end thereof;

means to connect the hood to the valve;

a pin extending through the hole in the hood and having a hooked end for hooked-up engagement with a valve of a pressurized cylinder and including a lock nut means to connect it to the extending end of the pin.

2. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said lock nut means includes projections extending laterally and providing handle means.

3. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the hooked end is bifurcated.

4. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the upper end of said pin is threaded and includes a washer intermediate the lock nut means and the hood to spread the load when the lock nut means is tightened against the hood.

5. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein said hood is of an axial dimension of about 8 inches and of a diametrical dimension of 6 #6 inches defining an internal chamber sized to receive the valve of a conventional scuba tank.

6. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said pin is of a diameter of about five-sixteenths of an inch.

l l t i t 

1. A device to protectively cover the valve on the top of a pressurized cylinder having a generally rounded top and a valve extending upwardly therefrom, comprising a hood sized to nest about the upper end and protectively jacket the valve, said hood having a skirt sized to snugly nest about the diameter of the upper end of the cylinder and said hood having a through opening in the upper end thereof; means to connect the hood to the valve; a pin extending through the hole in the hood and having a hooked end for hooked-up engagement with a valve of a pressurized cylinder and including a lock nut means to connect it to the extending end of the pin.
 2. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said lock nut means includes projections extending laterally and providing handle means.
 3. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the hooked end is bifurcated.
 4. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the upper end of said pin is threaded and includes a washer intermediate the lock nut means and the hood to spread the load when the lock nut means is tightened against the hood.
 5. The improvement as set forth in claim 1 wherein said hood is of an axial dimension of about 8 inches and of a diametrical dimension of 6 3/4 inches defining an internal chamber sized to receive the valve of a conventional scuba tank.
 6. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said pin is of a diameter of about five-sixteenths of an inch. 